Folding stool.



P. MERFELD.

FOLDING STOOL.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 16. 1911.

Patented Oct. 8, 1918.

INVENTOR WITNESSES ATTORNEY the details of construction hereinafter PETER MERFELD, 0F MARBLE ROCK, IOW

FOLDING STOOL.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, PETER MERFELD, a citizen of the United States, residing at Marble Rock, in the county of Floyd and State of Iowa, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Folding Stools,

- of which the following 18 a specification.

which when grasped, and'the stool lifted,

will cause the folding of the stool and provide means for suspending it from a nail or other suitable support.

Another object is to provide a folding stool which opens up into operative position by simply setting it down on a supporting surface, and which, when so set up will not collapse until lifted.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention resides in'the combination and arrangement of parts anddin escribed and claimed, it being understood that changes in the precise embodiment of the invention herein disclosed may be made within the scope of what is claimed without departing from the spirit of the invention.

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 represents an end elevation of a stool constructed in accordance with this in-' vention in set-up operative position,

Fig. 2 represents a similar view in collapsed inoperative position,

Fig. .3 is a top plan view of a portion of the stool shown in open operative position,

Fig. 4 is a side elevation thereof.

In the embodiment illustrated, two pairs of legs 1 and 2 are mounted for pivotal movement on a horizontal metal rod 3 at the opposite ends thereof. Each pair of legs is exactly alike and they are preferably constructed of metal, but obviously they need not necessarily be made of this material. As shown, each of the legs has its inner or upper and curved laterally inward as she -an Specification of Letters Patent.

. in abutting relation-when the stool is Patented Oct. 8, 1918.

Application filed February 16, 1918. Serial No. 217,561.

in Figs. 1 and 2, and these ends are pivotally connected with rods 4 and 5,. which rods also extend through bearings 6 formed in the outer ends of sectional cross bars as 7, it being understood that one of these bars 7 is disposed at each Clamping nuts 8 and 9 are also mounted on the rods 4 and 5, one being disposed adjacent the inner face of one of the legs and .the other outside the bearing 6 as is shown clearly in Fig. 4.

The cross bars 7 are each composed of two sections 10 and 11, the inner ends of which are here shown made wider than their outer ends which carry the bearings 6,

and are provided with lapping apertured ears12 which are designedto receive a longitudinally extending connecting rod 13, the ends 1 1 of the sections being positioned set up into operative-"position as shown in Fig. 1.

The rod 13 is secured in operative engagement with these overlapping apertured ears of the sectional bars by means of clamping nuts 15 and intermediately its ends it has an upstruck or ofit'set portion 16 to form a'hand grip for the stool V as is shown clearly in Figs. 2 and 3. This hand 'grip is designed to extend between two top or platform sections 17 and 18 which are formed of any suitable material preferably of hard wood suiiiciently thick to resist the strains to which the stool of this character would be subiected. These boards or platform sections 17 and 18 may be of any suitable or desired width, according to the width of the stool and are secured to the cross bar sections 10 and 11 by riveting or in any suitable manner. These boards are shown bound'around their outer edges by metal strips 19 composed of aluminum or other suitable wear resisting material which not only impart a finish to the stool but prevent wearing of the wood around the edges.

The inner meeting edges of the boards 17 and 18 are recessed midway their ends as shown at 20 to provide a spacefor the passage of the hand grip 16 so as to afford ample space for the passage of the fingers of the user through said grip.

The legs of each pair 1 and 2 are recessed on their meeting faces and provided with shoulders 21 and 22 so that the-edges of the legs of each pair may abut against said shoulders; as shown in Fig, i for pre end of the stool.

substantially U-shaped" whichperformsthe double function of a suptheir pivotal connection as is shown clearly in Figs. 1 and 1, these rods operating to brace the legs and prevent their spreading lon i i al The e ends hese es may he 1i$ di11 a y ee eb'l e desired manner, being here shown provided with rounded feet by bending the, ends o h le s h e dly' hte th le p heivn i F s il1 ih '2 end hi h fa ili a h op ing of the stool when it isdeposited'on the rou der o h r upper s eurfeee I h s f thi impr v t h n it s in e p n liet v ne tieh; as he Fig. 1 with the hand grip 16 disposedinthe recesses 20 of the platform sections "17. and 18, said grip being positioned below the top faces of sald boards so. as not to interfere with thestepping of passengers thereonor to cause tripping of said passengers, when it is desired to collapse the stool, the trainman or other person grasps the handle 16" and lifts the'stool. When so lifted, the members of the hinged platform, will .drop into parallel relation as shown in Fig. 2 an'd'the connecting-pairs of legs 1 and 2 will also fall into alinement with these platform sections in.

the position shown in Fig. 2 and" the stool may then be suspended from a nail or other suitable support by means of the. grip 16 port and of a hand for'lifting the stool. When itisdesired toset the stool up for use, allthat is. necessary is. to take hold of the grip 16, disengage it from its support,

Copies, oftliis patent may be obtained for five cents; each, bywaddressingt he and set the stool down 011 the supporting surface, when the legs, will immediately spread into the position shown in Fig. 1, carrying with them the latform sections 17 and 18 so that they will be arranged in flush horiontally allned relation to form the top of the support and the device is then ready for use either to operateas an auxiliary step for use by train men or as a stool for any other purpose. V

' From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, the advantages of the construction and ofthe method of operation will be readily apparent, to those skilled in the art to which the invention appertains and while I have described the principle of operation of' the invention together with the devicewhich I now consider to be the best. embodiment thereof, I desire to have it understood that the device shown is merely illustrative and thatsuch changes may 'be'made as are within the scope-of 'the-olaimed invention.

I' claim A folding stool composed of sections, a pintle hingedly connecting said" sections along one side ed e, a hand grip carried by said pintl'e for lift ng-and'lowering the" stool,

stops for limiting the opening movement of saidsections, and legs pivoted to thefree edges of said sections, the grasping of said grip and the lifting-of'the'stool operating to collapse the'stool.

In testimony whereof I' afiix my-si'gnature Y in presence of two witnesses; I

PETER MERE-EDD; Witnesses:

PAUL BOY-ER, RAYMoNn-B. Rm.

Washington, D.- 0; d 

